Sony Xperia ZR – The Xperia Z’s little brother

We like the Xperia Z here at CoolSmartphone towers, it looks gorgeous and performs just as well. Dan had one for a while and wrote about it here, we were all jealous.

What if you had small hands and struggled with the screen size though? Well Sony has though of that (for some reason)! Introducing the Xperia ZR, the 4.6″ variant of Sony’s flagship device.

Apart from being a pretty rapid MG, the ZR is also now a waterproof smartphone. Rocking all the same hardware, this new device will perform just as well as it’s big brother just with a smaller (and lower resolution) display. Sony also assure us that it complies with IP55 and IP58 standards for waterproofing which is apparently better than the bigger Z.

Hit up the press release below for the full run down. Is this the start of phones getting smaller rather than bigger?? (Nope)

Press Release
The new Xperia™ ZR waterproof* smartphone
with superior Sony engineering
• Sleek and durable smartphone with the highest level of water-resistance for filming in Full HD underwater
• Capture perfect photos and videos in any conditions with the 13 MP fast capture camera with HDR video and “Exmor RS for mobile”
• Generous 4.6” HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 for sharp and bright viewing experience
• Widest range of NFC-enabled accessories for the greatest choice in one-touch sharing and viewing experiences

13th May 2013, London – Sony Mobile Communications (“Sony Mobile”) today
introduces the new Xperia ZR featuring the highest level of water-resistance for
capturing photos and Full HD videos underwater. This Android smartphone offers
leading technology and content with a 4.6” HD Reality display, 13 megapixel fast
capture camera, Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 Pro quad-core 1.5 GHz processor,
and 4G LTE.
“The Xperia ZR pushes the boundaries on where and how consumers can use the
full potential oftheir smartphone. By combining Sony’s leading camera technology
with the highest level of water-resistance, you will never miss another moment.”
said Calum MacDougall, Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile
Communications. “Bringing together the best of Sony’s leading technology, media
applications and easy one-touch connectivity with the largest ever range of
NFC-enabled accessories, the Xperia ZR delivers the unique smartphone
experience that people can expect from Sony.”The ultimate in durable design
Xperia ZR is precision-crafted to handle whatever life throws at it. With its sleek,
yet durable design, the Xperia ZR is your perfect companion in and out of the
water. As well as being dust-resistant, this waterproof* phone is IP55 and IP58
compliant, so you can keep it submerged in 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30
minutes. Combined with its dedicated camera key, the waterproof capabilities let
you shoot videos in Full HD or snap pictures underwater, capturing the sharpest
visuals. The camera key also allows you to shoot even from a locked screen,
meaning you’ll never miss a moment again. Featuring Sony’s “Exmor RS for mobile” image sensor with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for both photos and videos, the Xperia ZR captures perfect pictures and videos, no matter what the conditions. Superior Auto mode combines Scene Recognition with high quality performance image processing technology (HDR and noise reduction) to automatically shoot with the most optimal settings. And when you want to capture action fast, simply turn on burst mode to shoot an unlimited number of images at 15 frames per second.
Xperia ZR also features Battery STAMINA Mode which significantly improves the
standby time of your smartphone by four times or more** by automatically
shutting down battery-draining apps whenever the screen is off and starting them
up again when the screen is back on.
The solid yet comfortable styling of the Xperia ZR is matched by a choice of classic
and fresh colours – black, white, pink and mint – each allowing you to express your
individual style.High quality viewing experience
Enjoy entertainment on the go with the super-sharp 4.6” HD Reality Display
powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 using the contrast enhancement technology
expertise from Sony’s range of BRAVIA TVs, which together with the beautifully
designed OptiContrast™ panel, delivers a beautiful high quality viewing
experience.
The OptiContrast™ panel reduces reflections and provides clearer viewing, even in
bright sunlight, and creates a seamlessly black surface when the phone is turned
off. By eliminating the sensor layer and integrating the sensor on the lens,
responsiveness of the screen is increased, so now your touch is both more
effective and more intuitive. And with Sony’s unique prediction filter to help better
detect the movement of your finger, scrolling on the Xperia ZR is reassuringly
smooth.
Consistent Sony media entertainment experiences
The “WALKMAN”, Album and Movies applications enable discovery of online and
offline content through a single access point with new ways to enjoy and share
that content. The “WALKMAN” application provides access to all your downloaded
music, a library of over 20 million songs to explore from Music Unlimited*** and
Facebook social integration. The Movies application provides access to over
150,000 movies and TV series from Video Unlimited***. The Album application
enables easy access to Facebook friends’ photos and browsing photos by location.
A new feature of this app is ‘Faces’ which recognizes and sorts the faces in your
photo album so you can tag existing contacts or add names to familiar faces.
Ease of sharing and enjoyment
One-touch functions let you easily share music, photos and videos from your
smartphone to the widest range NFC-enabled Sony devices, including speakers,
headphones and TVs.
Joining the ever expanding range, the new Stereo Bluetooth™ Headset SBH50 is
an advanced app-enabled wireless headset with built-in FM radio, OLED display
and one-touch connection for wireless audio streaming. Simply touch your Xperia
ZR once to the headset to instantly pair the devices and make a call or begin listening to tracks. The SBH50 is available in either black or white colour variants.
Other accessories which complement the Xperia ZR are the Charging Dock DK28
and SmartWatch MN2.
Key features for Xperia ZR
• 4.6” HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 for sharp and bright
viewing experience
• 13MP fast capture camera with “Exmor RS for mobile” and HDR for perfect
photos and videos in any conditions
• Waterproof* and dust-resistant (IP55 /IP58) for the ultimate in durable
design
• Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4 Pro quad-core 1.5 GHz processor with 2GB
RAM for fast performance
• Battery STAMINA Mode for outstanding battery life
The Xperia ZR will launch in various global markets from Q2 2013 (availability will
vary by market).